rope burns or coral "sting"?

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get_tanked

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I'm hoping someone can help me out with this.

Last Tuesday, I dived in Key West on the Cayman Salvage Master (dive 1), and on the reef (dive 2). On the Cayman, we followed the mooring rope down to the wreck. We weren't wearing gloves. On the reef, I touched a few times with my hands (mad esure there wasn't coral there first) to steady myself to take some pictures.

Anyway, about a week later, my hands are hurting like hell and definitely irritated by something. Very red, itchy, and a little swollen. On the way back up the mooring rope, I had to hold on for a while waiting for people, and noticed the rope was irritating my hands then - but that pain went away, and didn't start bothering me again until about a week later.

Are these symptoms indicatative of a rope burn or getting coral in my hands? There was a lot of junk growing on the rope. I'm just wondering if it was the dive or something else that has caused the problem.

Thanks!

Bill
 
There may have been coral groing on the rope that you couldn't see. There is also something called glass coral, and that could also cause the problem. You should probably go see a doctor.

One time when I was free diving for lobster off Key West, my older brother got his boat stuck on a shoal. When we were pushing it off, I stepped into a hole in the sand. A few days later, my foot was completely irritated. Because it came in contact with my other foot when I slept, the other foot got irritated as well. However, the symptoms only lasted a few days before they were gone. I'd go see a doctor and let him know about the incident diving.
 
get_tanked:
I'm hoping someone can help me out with this.

Last Tuesday, I dived in Key West on the Cayman Salvage Master (dive 1), and on the reef (dive 2). On the Cayman, we followed the mooring rope down to the wreck. We weren't wearing gloves. On the reef, I touched a few times with my hands (mad esure there wasn't coral there first) to steady myself to take some pictures.

Anyway, about a week later, my hands are hurting like hell and definitely irritated by something. Very red, itchy, and a little swollen. On the way back up the mooring rope, I had to hold on for a while waiting for people, and noticed the rope was irritating my hands then - but that pain went away, and didn't start bothering me again until about a week later.

Are these symptoms indicatative of a rope burn or getting coral in my hands? There was a lot of junk growing on the rope. I'm just wondering if it was the dive or something else that has caused the problem.

Thanks!

Bill

Fire coral frequently grows on mooring lines and isn't that easy for the uninitiated to see. If you are not wearing gloves, it is not a good idea to touch the line.
 
The same thing happened to me while in Bonaire, very itchy etc. it lasts about 2-3 weeks at least. i was told it's micro-organism that grow on the lines, but i was also told it's fire coral. either way i used the lanacaine spray for it and it helped with the itching.
 
As usual, DAN is a good source of advice on this sort of stuff. In this article, scroll down to the Jellyfish section -- that section also discusses fire coral and stinging hydroids, which is probably what got you.
Apply a thin coating of hydrocortisone lotion (0.5 to 1 percent) twice a day. Anesthetic ointment (such as lidocaine hydrochloride 2.5 percent or a benzocaine-containing spray) may provide short-term pain relief.
 
I had placed two fingers on the side of the Rhone while taking a picture last year in British VI and had similiar symptoms. I called DAN and then some Marine Toxicologist in SoCal and I think we decided it was fire sponge. It sort of looked like mustard colored pancake batter bubbling.(the sponge, not my hand) Very itchy, sort of delayed response, then the skin sloughed. I still have some tightness in the joint that was involved.
 
Sometimes you'll see fireworms on a mooring line also. A good rule of thumb is keep your bare hands off the line. Use a buddy line and attach it to the mooring line to maintain depth for safety stops if you need something to hold on to.

Hope you heal quickly!
Ber :lilbunny:
 
If it had been a fireworm I don't think you could have maintained your grip on the rope. While wading barefoot in the shallows at dusk near Jan Thiel Beach on Curacao last year, my left big toe suddenly felt like I had the mother of all hornets descend upon it. A few minutes later my wife said she snapped a great picture of a large red fire worm out in the open, looking like it had been disturbed! Thankfully, the beach restaraunt / bar gave us some vinegar. Some sort of hydroid, sponge, or fire coral in early stages of growth are more likely what you encountered. Keep in mind any surface that stays submerged is a potential anchor point for some sort of aquatic life to form or anchor itself on.

We dove the Cayman Salvage Master last summer in Key West with Subtropic between hurricanes Charlie and Frances. The dive guides insisted the tag line and mooring line be used for ascent and descent. As I recall, we wore our gloves for this dive since that was specified.
 
You can always pee on it =)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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